The Real Deal Miami

Miami litigator doubles square footage at New York’s Park Imperial

Jim Ferraro, a well-known Miami litigator and owner of the Cleveland Gladiators football team, has doubled his square footage at one of the New York City’s glitziest buildings.

The attorney, who successfully represented blue collar workers in a famous 1996 case against chemical maker Dupont, paid $7.75 million for a 1,887-square-foot penthouse at the Park Imperial earlier this month, records show, adding to his existing 2,587-square-foot pad at the building.

Ferraro was represented by Douglas Elliman broker Oren Alexander in the deal, while the seller, Kesao Fukae, was represented by Nick Jabbour and Ryan Serhant of Nest Seekers International. Fukae is head of a Japanese retail conglomerate and the sole shareholder of EH National Bank in Beverly Hills, Jabbour said.

Ferraro first purchased in the building at 230 West 56th Street in 2010, buying a five-bedroom pad for $8.18 million, roughly $4 million short of the $12.5 million asking price. He will likely combine the two units to form a super pad, Jabbour said, though he had no direct knowledge of Ferraro’s plans.

Meanwhile, Fukae is in the market for a grander spread. Jabbour said he is meeting with the retail magnate today to check out “peer buildings” in Midtown. The Japanese mogul is said to own property all over the world, including a vineyard in California.

Alexander was not immediately available for comment.

As previously reported, the Park Imperial has long been a haven for celebrities in bustling, paparazzi-filled Midtown. But residents Diddy, “Law & Order SVU” actor Christopher Meloni and new-age author Deepak Chopra have all listed their homes in the building for sale in the past year.